There’s plenty of reason to fear a new bar— no cracks in the upholstery, no graffiti in the bathroom, and often not a soul in the house. But when they’re opened by owners we know and love, they can feel like hallowed haunts from day one.

Ever since the days of 2B, 9C, and The 5 Spot, drinking in the East Village has been like swimming in an alcoholic alphabet soup: you'd have to be the Count from Sesame Street to make sense of all the bar names that play on their street addresses. To clear things up, here's an algebraic approach to the classic east-side trawl.

When it comes to food, New York City isn’t necessarily the city that has it all. Sure, you can get beef overnighted from Kobe, but try getting a Grand Slam Breakfast®. Despite the prevalence of fishes-out-of-water like TGIF, Applebees, and now Red Lobster, there are still some chains that haven’t made the jump from suburban shopping malls to the Big Apple. Until they finally open in Times Square, here’s where you can travel to find them.